Recent blog entries by mpawlo

I have been keeping myself busy with Greplaw submissions and Gnuheter submissions and maintenace (okay, Pawal does most of the maintenance work, but still!). A lot of GNU/Linux and open code advocacy conducted during 10 months running, giving speeches all over the country on legal issues related to open code. Two more to go before Midsummer's Eve, then I shall spend some lecture free time recovering .-)

The Norweigan "Byrett" (district court) will try the Jon Johansen DVD case on December 9, 2002. The trial was supposed to take place this summer, but the court decided to postpone the trial to find a technology savvy judge. The case will be tried
by one judge and a panel of two lay assessors.

Jon Johansen is being prosecuted by the Norwegian Economic Crime Unit
(OKOKRIM) under Norwegian Criminal Code 145(2). Johansen (probably with help, see link below) created DeCSS
software that can enable DVD playback on Linux. It is argued that the DeCSS software is a piracy tool.

Not that I want to tamper with Greplaw's current poll, but the speech Bruce Sterling gave at the O'Reilly conference a couple of days ago may prove to be this year's best speech on open code. The speech can not be easily be summed up in a few sentences, but if you are interested in open code you should read the transcript. Science fiction writer Sterling spans over a wide range of subjects, like the nature of the Cathedral, the gurus and why open source, basically, is about hanging out with the cool guys.